While there were never realistic hopes of contention in 2017, the Phillies’ worst-in-baseball 22-and-46 record nevertheless represents a considerable disappointment. These two veterans are hardly the only poor performers, but their pronounced struggles were increasingly hard to ignore.

Still, it’s a bit of a stunner to see the move take place. Gomez was the Phils’ closer for the bulk of 2016 and is earning a cool $4.2MM with one more year of arb control remaining. And Saunders landed in Philadelphia over the winter on a $9MM guarantee. The Phils were hoping they had scored a bargain when his market failed to develop, but will instead punt on the rest of that deal — including the rights to an $11MM option for 2018.

It’s never easy to give up on such highly paid players, but Philadelphia no doubt felt some pressure to shake things up. And the writing seemed to be on the wall for these players, whose continued presence might only have taken opportunities from younger options.

In the case of Gomez, 29, a poor finish last year has carried over — and then some. He has had some strong years in the past, despite frequently lagging peripherals, but currently owns a 7.25 ERA on 31 hits (including seven home runs) in 22 1/3 innings. Though Gomez is generating far more swings and misses than usual, to go with his typically strong groundball rate, he’s also backing himself into a corner with a career-low 53.0% first-pitch strike rate.

The developments are yet more surprising with regard to Saunders, 30, who was streaky but generally quite good in 2016. He’s slashing just .205/.257/.360 with six home runs through 214 plate appearances on the season thus far. Though his .245 BABIP suggests some misfortune, Saunders is also making a lot of soft contact and has seen his typically solid walk rate dive to 6.1%.

As for the newcomers, the 26-year-old Milner gets his first call-up after failing to crack the Indians’ roster as a Rule 5 pick. he has posted a 2.60 ERA with 27 strikeouts and just four walks over 27 2/3 innings at Triple-A. Perkins, also 26, has previously failed to master the highest level of the minors. But the former sixth-round pick is carrying an excellent .298/.388/.476 slash through 241 plate appearances there this year.

Wouldn’t be the worst move in the world for either side. The Bucs have been trotting out a lot of anonymous middle relievers, most of whom haven’t been any good. It might do Jeanmar good to pitch in situations with less pressure: he would be a long-man/mop-up guy mostly likely for Pittsburgh, which is what he did most successfully as a Pirate.

Neither is worth the money they’re being paid, though a cellar-dweller without an abundance of ready-now outfielders such as the A’s or the Giants could squeeze some value out of Saunders and that 2018 option if the Phillies agreed to pay all but the league minimum or so to Saunders for the rest of 2017.

He was speaking in Phillies terminology where players older than Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are still considered to be “very young.”. Look what they just called up, two 26 year olds. Aaron Altherr is 26.

Props to Phillies front office for biting the bullet and designating both when they see it’s not working out. A lot of teams would have treaded water by placing either or both on the DL while they figure out what to do with them.

They should also be picking up other team’s scraps, as they’re better than what the Mets send out there. I would agree with Salas, and Ramirez, but Reyes has been hitting and their infield is constantly getting injured. He can at least be depth for the rest of the season, and then can part ways with him after the season.

Seems like the Phillies rebuild keeps taking 1 step forward, 2 steps back. I know both players weren’t part of the future, but in a perfect world both would be flipped at deadline and the young players would be progressing, but not the case.

Perkins has never produced at the highest level of the minors? He hit .292 & 119 hits in Lehigh Valley last season. He had 20 doubles & was an AAA all-star. He can play all 3 outfield positions. He is a solid player who has been a good hitter.

If Saunders had the pop he did in the first half of last year, it would have been a good signing for Philly. He is overpaid. Remember he spent the entire year 0f 2015 recovering from knee surgery and had time to recover and work out. Somehow though after a few months in the 2016 season the work that he did to generate the great first half of 2016 suddenly wore off. I wonder how that happens?

Jimmertee, I’ve wondered the same about Saunders, with another small but notable sample of ABs in the 2013 WBC and the Seattle FO’s conviction that 2013 would be Saunders’s year.

Saunders didn’t have significantly better stats than Travis Snider as of 2014, yet the buzz around Saunders on his arrival in Toronto so soon after Snider’s tepid run there suggested in that there were professional evaluators in the Toronto FO at least who believed in a Saunders breakthrough that never completely took.

I read the statements in the article and then have to wonder if the writer took the time to do the same. If Saunders is making a lot of “soft contact”, maybe the BABIP doesn’t really “suggest some misfortune.” Maybe its actually deserved.

It is very rare that Saunders could have had the good 1/2 year he had in 2016 coming off an injury and then lose it. It is like Justin Smoak going from 87 to 147 Ops+ and a -0.4 war to 2.2 in one year. He had three 450+ ab’s/yr in Seattle and couldn’t do it then. So what happened? At 30 yrs old he “just figured it out”? Yeah right. I get that he has cut down his swing and changed the swing plain a bit, but the ability wasn’t there last year and it is there this year? No chance. He is likely to do a Micheal Saunders and come back to earth after the vitamins wear off. Could there be another reason? As soon as Colebello or Manny got caught, they couldn’t hit anymore. Just saying.

Thank you for being so polite and complimentary. If a player has performed exceptionally his whole career and is consistent like a Donaldson, they yes, he has natural superstar talent. But for the one year hitting wonderkinds, it is obvious to me and many in the baseball scouting community that they are getting help. Teams and pitchers adjust almost immediately to a hot batter, and then the batter corrects back to stay hot. The superstars do it naturally because they have the gift. it is easy to see, But when a player has 6 yrs and 3000+ ab’s and all of a sudden excels to superstar level, there is usually something artificial going on. And yes there are players in the MLB right now using PED’s. I know of two for sure and they have not gotten caught despite years of abuse. Arod didn’t get caught during much of his years of abuse. It is possible to slide through. Is Smoak using? I am not preapred to say that at the moment, but the question is out there based on his history. He has had long hot streaks in the past but always has “come back to earth”. Let’s see how time treats him over the last half of 2017.

And by the way, you’re anonymously accusing Smoak of using steroids. That’s pretty low. If you’re going to be making serious accusations then I think it’s incumbent on you to at least use your real name.

Took your prior comments as a sign of puzzlement of the kind that i”d had about Saunders’s career trajectory. Though while I’m certain there are several players currently getting away with PED use, you still lost me with your inference that performance spikes mean there is “usually something artificial going on.”

Just cut it out. These guys are tested a lot. Saunders was a talented guy who has never stayed healthy. Smoak has completely revamped his swing. This narrative is just tired. If you have proof these guys are using something present it. Otherwise cut it out. It’s a tired act.

Hey, Regarding Justin Smoak, I [and others] feel this success in 2017 is far beyond normal “mechanical correction” type measures that a hitter can take. I understand that he has also changed his diet, so that and mechanical changes may account for some improvement, but that won’t speed up a swing or fix hand/eye coordination. For the previous 5 years, Smoak was basically unable to see a breaking ball out of the pitchers hand and was flailing away at it by the time it reached the plate as a “guess” hitter. Many of his home runs previous to 2017 were on mistakes. He was a cripple]pitch] hitter. A pitcher that could execute a high and inside fastball and low and away with soft stuff could get him out easily. Now he can see that pitch out of the pitchers hand by revamping his swing? That is nonsense. It doesn’t happen that way, naturally anyway. As I said above in a previous note, I am not prepared at this point to categorically say he is on PEDs. But his 2017 line is off the charts suspect. As I said above in a previous note, if he can continue this performance rate for the balance of 2017, I’ll be a Justin Smoak beleiver. But he has started extremely hot in the past for extended periods of time, then gone in the tank over the second half. I am giving him the entire year before I accuse him of anything. On another PED’s note, not connected to Smoak, there are PED’s used in every professional sport by players. They are rampant in all sports. I knew ARod was using years before it came out in public. I would call him “needleman”. No joke. And he was getting tested all the time, but would mask it. There are players now[no names] in MLB that are taking PED’s. I know of 2 for sure, One has been taking for years and has passed all the tests. So before anyone gets offended or bored by the narrative, I suggest that you learn about actually what is going on in-behind the scenes of professional sports by talking to those who would know or better yet, like me, become part of the baseball community. I was in scouting. Please think about the following for a minute before responding: There are 30 MLB teams, 25 players on an active roster so 750 players acively playing. if we use the 40 man roster number, the total number is 1200. I am on saying I know 2 of these players are on PED’s. that is .17%. Some articles based on LMLB player polls in Sports journalism have suggested that 10% of the players are on something artificial to help them perform better in MLB. In the NFL, some say it is as high as 40%. Those numbers don’t count “legal” drugs like adderall which is an amphedamine used to mask fatigue and pain and is a excellent stimulant. “It increases alertness, aggressiveness, attention and concentration. It improves reaction time, especially when fatigued. Some think it enhances hand-eye coordination. Some believe it increases the mental aspects of performance.” That’s not to mention possible increases in acceleration, speed, strength and power that accrue to Adderall users. It’s no wonder that they calls Adderall “one of the quintessential performance-enhancing drugs. There’s no question it’s a performance-enhancing drug.” It is illlegal in most sports but with a piece of paper[exception] many players on on it in MLB. One study[tor star] had 10% of MLB players on it, where the normal rate in the human population is 5%. That’s 120 MLB players on Adderall. So let’s keep it in perspective when I say that I know of 2 MLB players on PED’s and appreciate the contribution of notes like this one to educate on the truth of what is going on. And let’s keep the name calling out of it. thanks.

Guaranteed that the Angels will pick up Jeanmar Gomez. They seem to love jjourneyman relief pitcher types……although Gomez probably doesn’t have an extensive enough injury history for the Angels’ taste.